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Cheat day... Good or bad?

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Replies

  • LillianNewman
    LillianNewman Posts: 5 Member
    If you have reached a plateau on your diet where the weight is just not going down, my dietician told me to have a large meal (not huge but regular home cooked, as if you were not on a diet). Of course don't overdo it, but something like pasta and chicken would be good I suppose. What happens is that it jumpstarts your metabolism and for the next 72 hours to the best of my understanding, your metabolism stays up while you go back on your diet the next day. But don't do it too often. Also, cheating weekly is an invitation to go off your diet. We all know that life happens, so save those cheats for plateaus and if you have a plateau and have to go to a wedding reception, well aren't you the lucky one.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    I've read things advocating both sides. 1 day per week where you are allowed to eat whatever you want. I am interested to hear what the MyFitnessPal community thinks.

    Please cite any sources you may have!

    Eh, I'm not so much a believer in "eating whatever you want" on a cheat day. Maybe a cheat meal? But definitely not a whole day. Of course, it's inevitable that it's going to happen! Birthdays, outings, vacations, you'll let your diet slip up and that's okay. Just crush it extra hard in the gym to make up for it and use those excess cals for muscle growth.
  • atjays
    atjays Posts: 798 Member
    Eating "whatever you want" for a day will easily negate any progress you made that week, so no, a cheat day in that regard is completely counter productive. It's all calories in vs. calories out.

    Instead design a "cheat day" with your goals in mind. If you're shooting for 1800 calories all the other days, your cheat day is no different, just you're going to allow yourself to eat "non healthy" foods to get to 1800 calories instead of going nuts. Personally I don't even make it that rare. Almost daily there is something in my diet that would make the average diet nut frown but it's all weighed out and carefully fits into my diet for the day. I never have bad cravings and never go binge eat. I simply have a healthy understanding of the calories I'm taking in, both good and bad and daily I'm at a deficit which means I'm losing weight. That's really the best way to diet in my opinion. The less restrictions the easier it will be to follow through on
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    When there is a special occasion I allot a day to go over my normal goal. Depending on the occasion I assign it to maintenance level - TDEE - at goal weight (nearly there) or a just relax eat what I want day. For instance christmas or my anniversary. If it is the latter I also have some lower net cal days before and after (read I excersise a little more). However I have also noted that on the relax days my calorie count is lower than what it used to be. Many foods I simply do not find that appealing anymore and I am imply full quicker.

    I do not consider it cheat days as I am not cheating. I am mindfully allowing social occasions. They are fully logged (if at all possible) and I know in advance when it is going to happen so it is built in.

    I feel it is necessary to have these more relaxed days occasionally. I see them a little bit as with the rest days for excersise. Just a way for the body and mind to recouperate and to then fully focus again. Personally I think the effects we notice are more of a psychological than physical effect, which happily fits with my goal of feeling better about myself.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    It's less about differences between bodies as different approaches to "cheat day."

    I think that terminology is stupid, but when I first started I ate a bit lower on other days so I could have a dinner out on the weekends and not worry about it (my free day, although I'd normally eat lower cal for breakfast and lunch and work out). I typically aimed for maintenance those days or didn't think about it (but I didn't use it as a reason to overconsume in any kind of crazy way). There's a limit to how much I can or want to overconsume in a day anyway, though. I gained weight by being consistently over on a daily basis, not by binging.
  • janekenney95
    janekenney95 Posts: 22 Member
    When I first started out losing weight last year, I had one cheat day a week. But now that I'm starting to get closer to my goal weight, any "forbidden" food that I eat can easily put on the extra pound. It is really up to the person and how their bodies react to being fed this food after doing so well for so long. It can be very rewarding to allow yourself at least one meal out of a day that you wouldn't normally eat, or a "cheat meal" so to speak. There is also the option of substitution. Like if you feel like having a pizza, you can always have a vegan pizza or make your own homemade one with tons of veggies. This is so that you're not giving in to take-out (which is extremely processed and high in fat and sodium) and this ultimately will help your craving, while it is also not too unhealthy to have. :) Much better than a regular take-out pizza. Just something I've learned from experience!
  • BiggDaddy58
    BiggDaddy58 Posts: 406 Member
    I do not believe in cheat days..IMO, you're only cheating yourself. That being said, I do have days, where I do not worry about logging everything correctly. If we go out to eat, have a couple of beers, etc. I am not going to go..give me the 40 oz steak and 12 beers..I just eat what I want, make sure I log it as close as possible, and get back on the bike the next day..A day off to enjoy yourself, w/o worrying ..is that too much potato salad, should I have another burger off the grill, can be a good thing.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I consider cheating to have short term gain with long term negative consequences. I have days when I eat more. I usually eat 2000-2500kcal per day but I also have days that are 3000+kcals. I am not regaining weight, my health doesn't suffer, so I do not consider it to be a cheat.

    I have celiac disease. If I chose to eat gluten that would be a cheat. It would taste good but within the hour I would feel poorly and the negative effects like arthralgias and migraines might last another few weeks. THAT ould be a cheat. I dumb thing to do. I would not cheat.

    I eat a very LCHF diet to treat my insulin resistance and to help reduce inflammation. If I ate high carb my BG would shoot up, I would feel poorly, and my autoimmune issues would have a set back. Drinking a soda or having candy (beyond 1 for a taste) would be a cheat. It would hurt me. I wouldn't cheat.

    Eating more for a few hours, a day, or a few days is just eating more. Not a cheat in my mind.
  • ericatoday
    ericatoday Posts: 454 Member
    I wouldnt say i have specific cheat days. But like once a week to once ever 2 weeks there will be a night that i eat a very unhealthy dinner or a big dessert thats my cheat. I dont make an entire day of it. I eat healthy but dinner is my weakness so everyonce in awhile i treat myself to like chili cheese fries or onion rings or ill eat a big piece of chocolate cake after dinner because i crave sweets sometimes. But i wouldnt make an entire day of it. Thats just too much id gain 3lbs back haha
  • luvythedino
    luvythedino Posts: 14 Member
    I personally believe a 'cheat day' can throw off a person from their regimen. Cause many people look forward to that day to indulge to only throw their bodies off guard with all the junk they are ingesting. Instead of aiming for a 'cheat day', aim for a cheat meal. One meal, once a week that you can get whatever you want. Now this doesn't mean order 3 large pizzas and stuff your face. Balance and self control are key in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    I'll start by saying I eat LCHF, so for me a "cheat day" (and I don't like that term) is not necessarily going over calories, but going over carbs. When I started LC, three years ago, I decided that I would do better knowing that I could have a piece of cake on my birthday, or my mil's lasagna (she's a lovely woman, Sicilian, and I would hate to hurt her feelings!), or a meal at a restaraunt where I didn't bother thinking about carbs. In short I figured my adherence would be better overall, if I didn't sweat those once in a while occassions where I eat something off plan. For me, it's not even every week (maybe twice a month), and it's not a whole day, but rather one meal (usually dinner or dessert). I call them "carb-refeed days" and I find they don't set me back too far as long as I get right back on track the next meal. It gives me the flexibility to live my life while managing my weight. And I think that's important for long term success.